Japan XVI: Tokyo (東京)

Well, this is really late but I'm going to finish up this little blog about Japan. Hopefully after this post, I'll do one or two more Q&A posts and then a post about my concluding thoughts about Japan and TEFL.

During my second to last weekend in Japan, I took a trip to the world's most expansive and populated city; Tokyo! Unfortunately, the prelude to this weekend was me being sick but I was able to feel stable enough to endure the journey later that evening.

There are many different ways to travel to Tokyo from Okayama. The shinkansen is the fastest and most expensive, a ticket from Okayama to Tokyo costs around $150 USD for one way), the limited express train comes in second place, a regular train takes nearly all day but the night bus is probably the most practical for money-savers like me. So, I headed out to Okayama Station around 9pm and caught my overnight bus at 10:20pm. this bus drove the whole night and arrived in Tokyo before sunrise, around 6am.

Once I shuffled my way off the bus (the driver even asked me if I was ok, haha), I made my way to a two story McDonalds for some coffee. For laughs, this was the second time I ever bought something from a McDonalds in Japan. After I fumbled through my order in Japanese, I claimed a seat on the second floor and slumped over my hash brown and coffee like a weary animal. I distinctly remember watching the sun rise through the windows of that McDonalds. It wasn't anything spectacular but still, it was watching the streets of TOKYO slowly light up.

Since I couldn't check into my hostel in Asakusa until 3pm, I ended up jumping trains from Tokyo Station to Akihabara and exploring the electronics district. What you read in guide books is true; the electronics are cheaper the further you explore from Akihabara Station but the people are also less accommodating to non-Japanese speakers.

[Asakusa River outside my hostel]

Later that afternoon,  the weather started to spit showers of chilly rain and snow so I decided to catch a train to Asakusa and see if I could check in early. Once I found my hostel, I wasn't allowed to go to my room yet but the staff let me rest in their basement. I gladly accepted because I was cold and already exhausted from fighting the left over illness of Friday. The basement was cozy, laid-back, comfy and even had two vending machines, of course...When my room was ready, I grabbed some food from the nearby Lawson, ate and then took a nap in my hostel bed. After I felt rested, I did my favorite thing-caught a train-and went to see the brand new Sky Tree!

[The Sky Tree covered in fog]

[Signs for the Sky Tree]

For those of you that don't know, the Sky Tree is a brand new tower that opened in May of 2012 in Japan. This tower not only spreads signals farther than Tokyo Tower (the Japanese version of The Eiffel Tower), it serves as a shopping plaza of all varieties and a market with fresh produce! My personal favorite was the Studio Ghibli store.

The next day, Sunday, I set out early to explore Tokyo Tower, Roppongi Hills, Yoyogi Park and Harajuku. I ended up spending most of my time at Tokyo Tower because it just so happened that there was a perfect view of Mt. Fuji that day!

[Tokyo Tower]

[My lunch]

[Mt. Fuji, look close]